The invention pertains to a device for manufacturing hollow glass articles and, more particularly, to the lubrication of the molds for the glass articles.
Between the infeed of a molten glass gob and the ultimate delivery of a formed hollow glass article, a glass forming machine, particularly an IS machine, comprises multiple assemblies, mechanisms, measuring and handling systems that not only require monitoring, but also servicing. This concerns, for example, the lubrication state of molds, particularly of the blank molds. The surfaces of these blank molds, which come in direct contact with the molten glass, require careful lubrication to achieve a uniform and constant product quality over time, wherein the lubrication ensures an even distribution of the glass material being introduced within the mold cavity and simplifies the removal of the preform, while still mechanically unstable, from the mold.
It is generally known to utilize a handling system such as, e.g., a robot that is equipped with a spraying device for lubricating the blank molds. In this case, however, it is not possible to check the spray pattern, the quantitative distribution on the walls of the blank mold, the adjustment, particularly the positioning of the spraying device, etc. This can be attributed to the fact that a glass gob is already introduced into the mold cavity immediately after the spraying processes completed such that the state of a lubricant layer cannot be manually controlled.
Patent publication FR 2 901 551 A1 describes a method for automatically lubricating the molds used for manufacturing hollow glass articles, wherein a robot carrying a lubricating tool can be moved along the row of adjacently arranged blank molds of an IS machine on a rail. The lubricating tool consists of a lance, on the free end of which quills are arranged, wherein the mold halves of the blank mold are in the closed state during the lubrication of its inner walls. The mold halves are transferred into the open state in order to lubricate the associated neck mold, wherein the lance always is inserted into the blank mold or into the intermediate space between the mold halves, respectively. The individual phases of the lubricating process are carried out with the cooperation of a central control, but this publication contains no information concerning the control of the lubricant layer introduced into the blank molds.
In light of the circumstances described above, an objective of present invention is to enhance a device of the above-described type with respect to an effective control of the lubricant application on the inner walls of the blank molds used. In such a device, this objective is attained with the characteristics of the invention as described below.